Windows 8 developer preview: when and where to download (update: right now, here!)

Got a brain full of Windows 8? Can't stop obsessing about it? Fret not -- as of 8PM PT this evening (just under eight hours from now), you'll be able to download a copy of the Windows Developer Preview to your 32- or 64-bit x86 machine (no activation required) from dev.windows.com. Sorry, ARM hopefuls! Per usual, we'd recommend doing so on a separate partition (or a spare machine altogether) in order to prevent unforeseen conflicts, and we'd also suggest having a stiff glass of patience waiting nearby. Something tells us Redmond's servers are going to be hammered.

Update: The download is live! Click here to try it out yourself, while the slightly less daring can hang on for our first impressions of Microsoft's latest and greatest once we've installed and given it a try.